FoI
Lily of the Valley Tree
Share Foto info
Lily of the Valley Tree
E Introduced Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Lily of the Valley Tree
Botanical name: Elaeocarpus grandiflorus    Family: Elaeocarpaceae (Rudraksh family)
Synonyms: Elaeocarpus lanceolatus, Monocera grandiflora, Perinka grandiflora

Lily of the Valley Tree is an evergreen tree more than 15 m tall, which is spectacular in bloom. From the tip of each branch arise many flowers. The trunk is erect, on the base there is some buttress roots. Young leaves are reddish, mature leaves green and turn red before dropping. Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceshaped, sawtoothed, tapering at tip, and narrow at base. The flowers arise from the scars of fallen leaves. The flowers are arranged in unbranched racemes, hang downwards, reddish pink and cup-shaped sepals, and whitish petals with a fringed edge. Stamens are hairy, ovary ellipsoid, superior. Fruit is a green, ellipsoid drupe about 3 cm, contains a hard rough seed with slender spines. Lily of the Valley Tree is native to Indo-China to Malesia, cultivated widely.
Medicinal uses: The crushed bark is used for poulticing persistent ulcers.The bark is an ingredient of a traditional drug for women's diseases. A decoction of the leaves is drunk as a general tonic and is used in the treatment of bilious afflictions. The leaves are an ingredient of a traditional drug against syphilis. The seeds are a common ingredient in many traditional 'jamus'. They are credited with mild diuretic properties and as such are included in prescriptions to relieve bladder stones and painful urination in general.

Identification credit: Prashant Awale Photographed in cultivation in Maharashtra.

• Is this flower misidentified? If yes,